-Credit:James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Alan Shearer has suggested there’s an outsider for the Premier League title that shouldn’t be ruled out.
Liverpool remains strong favorites to claim top spot with the club sitting four points clear at the top of the table and having a game in hand on the chasing pack. But there is perhaps some slight concern that Liverpool has failed to beat any of its last three Premier League opponents and has won just three of the last seven league matches.
If the Reds were to be caught, Arsenal looks best placed to strike. Mikel Arteta’s side is second in the table, unbeaten in 11 league matches and this is the third year in a row it has been involved in the title shake-up.
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Nottingham Forest are something of a dark horse too, and the East Midlands club had won five league matches in a row prior to its midweek draw against Liverpool. Forest sits six points off top spot at present and the team has downplayed its chances of winning the title.
But Shearer claims there’s another side to consider. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that team is Newcastle United, the ex-striker’s former club.
Asked on BBC’s Match of the Day whether it’s beyond the Magpies reach to claw back the nine-point gap to Liverpool, Shearer replied: “No it’s not. The form they’re in, the way they’re looking – defensively solid, clean sheets. Midfield – there’s no doubt they’ve got the system going, and with [Alexander Isak] up front, they’ve got a chance.”
While there may be the slightest bit of bias in Shearer’s response, his logic is undeniable. Newcastle has been in sensational form and has won its last six league matches, with Isak on an eight-game scoring streak.
Newcastle and Isak are in tremendous form. -Credit:GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images
A 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers continued that run on Wednesday, and with matches against Bournemouth, Southampton and Fulham over the next three, the north-east club will hope to put even more pressure on the leaders.
Newcastle is also firm favorites to secure passage to the Carabao Cup final and leads 2-0 from the away leg against Arsenal. Should Eddie Howe’s side make it to the final in March, it could face Liverpool.
As for Shearer, the 54-year-old scored 206 goals for his boyhood club from 405 appearances. As Newcastle’s all-time top scorer, a statue of the former England international stands outside St James’ Park.